I, Kurumi Tokisaki, Am a Wanderer

The day had dawned bright and clear. The sky stretched endlessly, unmarred by a single cloud—a result of Accelerator's earlier attack.

Buzzing.

A faint hum filled Accelerator's ears as he lay sprawled on the ground, feeling as though the world was slipping further and further away from him.

So this... this is what it feels like to lose?

To surrender the title of NO.1?

Every breath was a laborious effort. His vision blurred, and he began seeing what looked like countless clones of Misaka Mikoto—girls with tea-colored hair and tactical goggles.

Had Accelerator retained even a shred of common sense, he might have realized that the delirium plaguing his mind stemmed from one simple reason:

He was losing too much blood.

The Misaka clones, dressed in identical uniforms, arrived with a stretcher. Among them was the ever-nonchalant tattooed man, Kihara Amata. The sisters clumsily administered first aid, their hands fumbling awkwardly, only to unceremoniously toss Accelerator onto the stretcher like a sack of rice.

Their expressions remained stoic throughout, devoid of any emotion, but the brisk efficiency of their movements betrayed an air of thinly veiled satisfaction. Had their expressions been less impassive, one might have mistaken this as some form of revenge.

Kihara Amata observed the scene with a look of mild amusement, his eyes glinting with fervent curiosity as they locked onto Kurumi.

She, the one who defeated Accelerator, was the ultimate research subject.

Kurumi met his gaze coldly, a warning flickering in her mismatched eyes. Then, turning toward Misaka 2829, she offered a brief farewell, preparing to leave.

But before she could, Misaka 2829 stepped forward, her body slightly bowed in anticipation. Her hopeful expression—though subtle—was clear.

Kurumi hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly reached out, placing a hand on the clone's head. Misaka 2829's face showed faint traces of satisfaction as she stepped back into line.

It was then that Kurumi noticed the rest of the clones gathering in formation. Numbered sequentially, they lined up in perfect order, their identical faces gazing expectantly at her.

An entire battalion of emotionless yet eerily hopeful faces stared back at her, their uniformity both amusing and intimidating.

Kurumi sighed inwardly, feeling the weight of the moment.

Nearby, Kihara Amata let out an audible chuckle.

Kurumi's gaze turned frosty as she approached him. Without a word, she delivered a swift uppercut that sent him sprawling to the ground.

Dusting off her hands, she turned back to the clones. "Alright, let's continue," she said, resigned but composed.

The clones nodded in unison, like a line of obedient chicks.

Elsewhere, in an unassuming building devoid of windows or doors, a distorted female voice echoed.

"Etz Chaim (?? ?????)—the Tree of Life."

"The Angel of Understanding, Sequence Three. That is her true visage."

The voice shifted continuously, as though its source was darting from one corner of the building to another.

The Academy City's Chairman, suspended upside-down within his life-support device, listened with impassive detachment. His gaze remained fixed on a massive array of monitors displaying nearly a hundred simultaneous feeds.

"And so... Accelerator's status as Academy City's strongest has been nullified," the disembodied voice concluded.

The Chairman responded without a hint of concern.

"Plans are bound to encounter unforeseen variables. The solution is simple: adapt, correct the deviation, and streamline the 'process.' Efficiency is paramount."

His tone carried a faint hint of melancholy as he continued, "Sometimes, one must lay the groundwork and cast the net wide."

The vast array of monitors flickered, each displaying a different scene of Kurumi.

In some, she wandered aimlessly; in others, she lounged at a cozy café on Cat Island. Occasionally, her face turned toward the camera, her lips curling into an enigmatic smile.

And in every instance, her mismatched eyes shimmered with secrets untold.

In the shadowy confines of the Level 6 Shift Research Facility, Kurumi made her exit, her steps measured and unhurried.

Behind her, Yoshikawa Kikyou seemed eager to ask something, fidgeting as though holding onto a secret she wanted others to pry from her.

But Kurumi was uninterested.

All she cared about was knowing the location and timing of the experiments involving Accelerator and the Misaka clones. And even that was of little consequence—her shadowy doppelgängers were already watching over the entire city.

"She and they are... harmonious," Aleister murmured, gazing at the various feeds of Kurumi's activity. Unlike Kurumi, who split countless versions of herself across timelines, Aleister had compressed every version of himself into a single point, sealed and overlapped within one coordinate.

"Jealous?"

"A little."

The screens shifted rapidly, images flickering in the dim space. One froze.

In this particular frame, Kurumi stood on the edge of Nagatenjouki Academy's student dormitory, speaking with a shy young girl whose hands fidgeted nervously.

"That's the original," Aiwass's voice reverberated, firm and certain.

"Oh?" Aleister's synthesized voice betrayed a hint of curiosity.

For all his calculations and analysis, Aleister had been unable to distinguish which Kurumi was the true one. Each doppelgänger appeared indistinguishable in terms of data.

He leaned forward, intrigued.

"Is it... angelic resonance?"

"No," Aiwass replied, a rare trace of mirth in his tone. "It's because she's the most beautiful."

"..." Aleister fell silent, glancing at the color of his surgical gown. For some reason, he felt a sudden and inexplicable unease.

Kurumi, returning from Nagatenjouki Academy, was indeed her true self.

Today was Monday. Afternoons at Tokiwadai Middle School were typically relaxed—a perfect time for Misaka Mikoto to browse the latest manga at Green Mart. However, since Kurumi's arrival, these afternoons had turned into casual outings for the two.

Today should have been no different.

Unfortunately, after an overly "friendly" interaction with Shirai Kuroko yesterday (resulting in a broken door), Mikoto found herself punished with cleaning duties at the school library.

Sighing, she had called Kurumi to cancel their plans.

Kurumi, now free to wander, hummed a lighthearted tune. She was heading to visit Saten Ruiko to play some games when she stopped abruptly in front of her dormitory. Something had caught her attention.

"Rikuto Mika?"

Kurumi tilted her head, her curious gaze falling on the faint green glow of a name floating in midair.

"Eek!" A muffled squeak escaped as the figure of a shy girl flickered into view, materializing from nothing.

Even after witnessing this spectacle numerous times, Kurumi couldn't help but marvel at it.

"What's brought you here today?" Kurumi asked warmly, her smile disarming.

For someone as timid as Rikuto Mika, approaching without reason was uncharacteristic. Kurumi had a distinct memory of her precisely because she often faded into the background.

"W-Were you at Seventh Mist yesterday?" Rikuto stammered, her voice barely above a whisper, her face flushed red.

Kurumi raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled.

"Yes, I was. Why do you ask?"

"W-Were you... with a Tokiwadai girl?" Rikuto pressed on, her words quivering but persistent.

Kurumi paused, wondering if she had accidentally offended the girl. That couldn't be it—why would Rikuto come here just for that?

After much hesitation, Rikuto finally blurted out everything she had witnessed that day.

"Someone followed me? And sniffed the clothes I picked out?" Kurumi's smile froze, her lips twitching slightly as her mind conjured an image of a typical hentai.

"Well, whatever the case, thank you for telling me." Kurumi reached out, patting Rikuto gently on the head.

But before she could say more, Rikuto, overwhelmed by her own shyness, vanished on the spot.

Kurumi stared at the now-empty space where the girl had stood.

Her ability was peculiar. Rather than instinctively making people overlook her, it was as if she gradually withdrew her existence from this world.

If Kurumi hadn't specifically marked her name, she likely wouldn't have been able to find her presence either.

Watching the green name tag move slightly to the left, Kurumi shifted her gaze accordingly. Then, as Rikuto tried to step to the right, Kurumi's gaze followed again, unwavering.

Rikuto pursed her lips, growing more and more embarrassed under Kurumi's cheerful, unwavering stare. Her heart pounded uncontrollably, but ironically, this made it even harder for her to cancel her ability.

For someone who could ignore her ability so completely, Kurumi was only the second person she had ever encountered.

Clutching her phone tightly, Rikuto suddenly felt puzzled.

Who was the first...?

Miiwuu—

A soft, childlike notification tone rang out. It was Kurumi's email alert. Smiling, she pulled out her phone and saw a message from Rikuto.

—Senpai, could you please stop staring.—

The name tag in front of her sank slightly. Kurumi could almost picture the flustered girl squatting on the ground, her face flushed red, fumbling with her phone in desperation before finally sending the message.

Lowering her phone slowly, Kurumi squatted down. Rikuto cautiously raised her head, peeking at Kurumi, who was still smiling warmly.

On the back of Kurumi's phone was an image of a cute little girl, seemingly four or five years old. She had purple hair and violet eyes, with a cheerful smile as she held out her hand adorned with a red ribbon.

Rikuto didn't know who the girl was, but she must have been someone very special. Rikuto had secretly looked into Kurumi's movements before—classes were optional anyway, as long as the teachers didn't notice her absence.

Zassou Middle School… Tokiwadai Middle School…

Kurumi was always surrounded by other girls, but Rikuto had never seen this little one before.

Academy City wasn't a kind place. Maybe the girl hadn't been brought here. But Rikuto's thoughts soon spiraled into confusion again. Who had said that in the first place?

She watched as Kurumi turned and left, then plopped down onto the ground.

Rikuto tried to regulate her breathing, calming herself so she could cancel her ability. Slowly, her existence began to return to the world.

When no one else can see you, the one person who does becomes extraordinarily special.

Rikuto was about to stand up when she noticed something strange.

There was a ticklish sensation on her neck, like stray hairs brushing against her skin. But that was impossible. Her back was pressed against a wall—how could anyone stand behind her?

Stiffly, Rikuto turned her head, only to see a large black-and-red shadow spreading across the wall. Kurumi was leaning out from the shadow, her body bending forward. Her face carried a mischievous grin, like a cat toying with a small animal.

"Eek!!!" Rikuto once again vanished before Kurumi's eyes, pulling off another disappearing act.

...

Accelerator lay in the hospital bed, the sharp smell of disinfectant hanging in the air.

Four Misaka Sisters sat primly around him, forming a semi-circle. They had been assigned to this hospital for bodily adjustments and post-clone issue resolutions.

Curiously, they weren't wearing patient gowns or Tokiwadai uniforms. Instead, they donned peculiar nurse outfits.

Expressionless yet meticulous, they leaned closer to Accelerator, attempting to touch the bandages wrapped around his chest.

"The debate on whether Accelerator's gender is male, female, or 'other' begins now."

But just then, Accelerator opened his eyes, the heavy black circles beneath them betraying his poor state of mind.

"Oi... How many times is this now? Haven't you had enough?" Despite his usual delinquent demeanor, ever since Misaka 2829 pleaded for mercy, Accelerator found himself unable to look at the Sisters in the same way.

"Misaka isn't trying anything; Misaka simply wanted to help tuck you in," one Sister explained flatly, turning her gaze aside as if to feign innocence.

Accelerator sighed heavily, attempting to massage his temples, only to find his left hand in a cast and his right hooked to an IV.

Their monotone, yet oddly inquisitive responses made his head throb even more.

"The doctor says Accelerator needs to rest well. Misaka advises that you sleep immediately," the Sister seated to his right stated earnestly.

He stared at her with a deadpan expression, his eyes devoid of life.

Every time he tried to sleep, these girls would spout bizarre lines and attempt to touch him, snapping him wide awake.

"Misaka feels sad about Accelerator's heartlessness. Even though Misaka and the others are leaving tomorrow, you won't even indulge Misaka's final bit of curiosity."

"Huh? You're leaving tomorrow?" Accelerator mumbled. "Well, thank God for that. Finally, I'll get some peace."

But his guard quickly went up. "Wait, where are you all going?"

He couldn't let them escape one fire pit only to leap into another.

"Misaka and the others are being dispatched worldwide for bodily adjustments. Our numbers are too excessive for Academy City to handle. Misaka explains this kindly to Accelerator," one Sister said while wearing an expectant expression.

"Tomorrow, Kurumi-sama is hosting a head-patting ceremony to send off all the Sisters. Misaka is really looking forward to it."

"Kurumi, huh…" Accelerator muttered.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the news on the TV screen, reporting changes in the superhuman rankings.

He was no longer No. 1.

It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Accelerator's entire body relaxed.

"I'll give you a proper beating someday," he recalled the brash declaration of the girl who barged into his apartment. Her words still echoed, and the wounds on his chest still throbbed.

He still couldn't comprehend how she had nullified his reflection—an inexplicable moment when it simply vanished.

But... that was fine.

Sprawled out on the hospital bed in a "大" shape, Accelerator stared at the ceiling, thinking that maybe hospital stays weren't so bad.

Just then, a Misaka Sister's voice chimed in.

"But Accelerator doesn't need to worry."

"Although Misaka and the others will be leaving Academy City tomorrow, other Misakas will be coming back to keep you company." She beamed at him with a toothy grin.

Accelerator froze in place.

"Misfortune!!!"

Almost simultaneously, a boy in the next hospital room cried out in despair.

Then, as if to drown him out, an even louder wail followed.

"Such… Misfortune!!!"

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